


Echo

by NamiiLevee



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Underfell, Depression, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, I Don't Even Know, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Mentions of Alphys - Freeform, Mentions of Asgore - Freeform, Mentions of Mettaton - Freeform, Mentions of Toriel - Freeform, Mentions of Undyne - Freeform, Mentions of frisk - Freeform, Post-Undertale Pacifist Route, Schizophrenia, Suicidal Thoughts, Underfell Papyrus, Underfell Sans, Why Did I Write This?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-11
Updated: 2017-01-04
Packaged: 2018-08-21 23:14:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,579
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8264006
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NamiiLevee/pseuds/NamiiLevee
Summary: It's been a year since Frisk has helped the Underfell universe break the barrier and reach the surface, and so far everyone has been doing well integrating with humanity.Almost everyone.Sans gets a visit from someone long thought to be gone, but the question is:  Is this the real Gaster, or is it a figment of his imagination?





	1. I'm Okay (But I'm Not Fine At All)

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not sure how this came into being, but here we are!

 

“ _SANS!_ ”

Sans winced, fingers hovering over the keys on his laptop and frozen in perpetual fear, when he heard that voice.  He didn’t dare type out whatever had been on his mind then, and even if he tried he wouldn’t have time to finish.  Five…four…three…two…

One.

SLAM!!

The small skeleton winced again as his door was roughly thrown open, more like kicked open, and a tall figure stood menacingly in his doorway.  Oh no, what had he done this time to piss Gaster off? It was Sunday, and last he checked Sans didn’t have any duties today.

…it _was_ Sunday, right?

He took a quick peek at the calendar located at the bottom-right corner of the screen and confirmed that it was indeed Sunday.  So then why was Gaster here? At that moment, the taller skeleton slammed his palms into the desk damn near close to Sans’ and the smaller of the two jumped back with a poorly concealed squeak.  It wouldn’t have hurt if their hands had touched, Sans had endured much worse than a simple hand slap; more like Sans didn’t want to touch his father if he could avoid it.

Said skeleton was hovered over him, eyes narrowed to a chilling glare and the corners of his mouth twitching.  That was a bad sign.  Sans wasn’t sure when he gained the courage to speak up first.

“W-what’s up, Ga—I mean, Dad?” He instantly regretted saying anything.

“What’s up? What’s _up_ , Sans?” Gaster spoke quietly at first, baring his fangs for his son to see.  “I don’t see anything particularly _up_ except for the goddamn fact that I’ve been calling you for the past four hours and you’ve been _ignoring_ me.”

Gaster had been calling him? For the last four hours? That was odd since Sans hadn’t heard… Oh shit.  Oh shit, oh shit.  His headphones.  He had put them on when he started working and had been lost in his writing all this time, and he hadn’t heard anything but the music playing through the buds.  Not even the sounds of his increasingly angering father.

“Oh, fuck I’m sorry, Dad! I put my headphones on and--!” Sans didn’t have a chance to finish as he was thrown against the floor by the force of his father’s slap.  Tears pooled in his eye sockets but he didn’t dare let them fall.

“Oh, _you’re sorry_.  Do you think that’s going to fix it, Sans? You use that every time, and I am sick of your excuses!” Gaster was shouting now, fists clenched at his sides as if itching to hit the other again.  “I call and I call, and here you are doing your own thing! And what do I find you doing? Writing! And it’s not even important writing! Just some stupid fantasy writing from that stupid imagination of yours!”

Sans curled in on himself.  He wished his father would just hit him already and be done with it.  But no such luck.  No, he would never be that lucky.

“How is it that I have two sons and yet only one of them is successful? One is a member of the human justice system and the other is a failure.  By the stars, what have I done to deserve such humiliation?!” Gaster shouted up to the ceiling.  “You could have become anything you wanted, Sans! You could have gone into any profession and shown the humans up! But no, instead you choose to spend your time sitting in your room and _being lazy_!”

“I write! I’m a writer!” The smaller skeleton couldn’t help the outburst.  He was in for it now.

Gaster looked equal parts amused and livid.  “A writer? You? Please Sans, at least have the decency to admit that you’re a terrible writer.  I’ve read some of that shit you call your work and I have to say I’m not impressed.  It’s awful and not even fit for wiping Asgore’s ass.”

The tall skeleton leaned down and hovered over his still cowering son.  Pathetic.  “All these years and you haven’t amounted to anything.  All you do is sleep, eat, and be lazy.  You don’t help your brother with the chores and you don’t even have the decency to clean up your own pigsty of a room.  I’m truly disappointed that you are even related to me.  Papyrus is too.”

Sans balled up even tighter.  He heard Gaster stand and casually brush his trousers off before walking away.  It was several minutes before he worked up the courage to relax ever so slightly.  Upon opening his eyes he confirmed that Gaster was indeed gone, but that didn’t make him feel better.  Standing up, Sans brushed himself off and looked over at his desk.  His chair looked warm and inviting, and his laptop sat there waiting for him to return and continue his writing.

But he didn’t.

Instead, he turned around and walked out of his bedroom.  The sound of the front door closing announced the second homeowner’s return, and sure enough there was Papyrus shaking snow from his winter coat and navy uniform.  He looked so sharp in that uniform, his bones covered by blue fabric that Sans knew his brother painstakingly ironed, starched, and creased every night.  The prominent scarring on his face surprisingly made him look dignified.  He looked like a professional.  The smaller skeleton almost grimaced as he looked at the shiny badge on his baby brother’s chest, remembering Gaster’s words.  His brother must have heard him and looked up, and gave him a genuine smile.

“OH, SANS! YOU’LL NEVER GUESS WHAT HAPPENED TODAY!”

He sounded so happy and excited to tell him about his day, something that hadn’t happened since he and his brother were both baby bones.  Before he could launch into explicit detail about his day, Sans pushed by him.

“SANS?”

“Sorry bro, got some stuff I need to do.  Outside of the house, I mean.” Sans said briskly.

“OKAY…? HOW LONG DO YOU THINK YOU WILL BE GONE?”

“I…I don’t know.  But I’ll be back.” Sans said to reassure his brother.  He whispered the last part, “Eventually.”

As he brushed past his brother and reached for his coat on the rack, the taller skeleton grabbed his arm.  It was not rough like it normally would have been in the days of old, but it was still enough to make Sans freeze up.  If Papyrus noticed he didn’t say.

“SANS… Is everything okay?” He lowered his voice a pitch not wanting to scare his older brother.  Sans did what he always did when confronted with a hard question—he smiled.

“Heh, you know me bro.”

He gently shook off Papyrus’ grip and pulled on his jacket, and he walked out the door before his brother could pry.  The tall skeleton huffed in exasperation and prepared to follow after his brother and beat him into submission, but stopped himself.  Ever since the barrier had been broken they had tried to be nicer and more open to each other.  Papyrus no longer threw hurtful insults at his brother, and he was very proud of himself.  Sans was getting better with communicating, and with his brother’s new treatment of him he was also breaking out of his stuttering habit.  Papyrus thought they were doing very well these past six months, he thought that they—especially Sans—had made extraordinary progress in breaking away from the age-old “kill or be killed” motto of the Underground.  He thought everything was going great.

Until today.  It was no secret that Sans had bad days; hell, he had them more than Papyrus did and the younger skeleton had learned that it was best to just try and make everything better when Sans was in one of his moods.  Only this time Sans hadn’t given him a chance to do the “bonding thing” that humans usually did.  His older brother didn’t seem to want to be in the same room with him.

“What’s wrong, Sans?” Papyrus asked aloud.

But there was no response.


	2. Save Me (From The Nothing I've Become)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans has some time alone to reflect. Gaster decides to step in for what he feels is a meaningful conversation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It seems that writing about depressing topics is my bread and butter. I'm not sure how to feel about this.
> 
> WARNINGS: Suicidal implications, emotional & psychological abuse

Sans took a long drag from his cigarette, savoring the burn in his nonexistent magical lungs before exhaling.  A long plume of smoke drifted into the cold air.  He missed this.  It wasn’t often that he could get out of the house long enough for a smoke since Papyrus hated that habit more than his drinking, saying that the smell never left his clothes even after multiple washes, and Sans didn’t dare smoke inside the house.  He remembered the days when Papyrus would beat the living shit out of him for so much as seeing one of the cancer sticks in his proximity—back in the Underground.  The stocky skeleton felt melancholy coming on and took another drag.

After being trapped for so long, it had been a breath of fresh air when Frisk, the last human to fall into the mountain, had chosen to save monsterkind despite the incorrigible blood lust and violence that permeated the Underground.  They hadn’t given up hope even when everyone else had.  They had run, evaded, and even fought without really fighting.  They had… What was that human expression? _“Killing them with kindness”_?

But they hadn’t given up once, going against “kill or be killed” and choosing to believe in the good in monsters.  And look where they all were now; they were on the surface living amongst surprisingly decent humans (mostly), seeing the sun and stars every day for real instead of the crystals that had been poor substitutes.

Frisk was living with Toriel and Asgore, and helped them to recover from the toxic grief that had plagued the Underground for centuries.  It was challenging work and there were some days when they would drop by the Skeleton Bros. house unannounced for a “cup of tea”, often staying until it was dark but always going home in the end.  Sans knew that both of the Boss monsters were prone to emotional breakdowns or downright outrageous bursts when reminded about their lost children, but he was amazed that Frisk was trying so hard to help them through their pain.  The visits were just the kid’s way of taking a breather.  It seemed that their determination was even needed up here.

Undyne and Alphys were—unsurprisingly—living together and shockingly they had slowly started to warm up to being on the surface, slowly losing their homicidal insane streaks.  But not quite; Papyrus still had cooking lessons with Undyne and although they were now much tamer compared to the lessons underground, Undyne would still mutter under her breath about how beautiful a squashed tomato looked under her fist and that the red juice reminded her of “dripping human’s blood.” That made both her employers and clients extremely uncomfortable, but those moments were few and far in between.  Being employed by a fitness center it was part of her job to give nutrition lessons in addition to an exercise regime, and surprisingly she was better at telling people what to eat instead of trying to cook it herself.

Alphys was still a sadistic, maniacal nervous wreck, but at least the dinosaur was trying to break out of her metaphorical shell.  Upon reaching the surface, she offered her gritty research findings on many gruesome subjects (minus the research on Determination and souls), one of them being on pain tolerance and how it could be suppressed or amplified when necessary.  It was unsurprising that the research was being used on incarcerated human criminals.  While terrified, scientists acknowledged her work and offered her a job in their lab, which she happily took. 

Mettaton was working hard to become the star he was back in the Underground, and although the humans were against his “deathertainment (death entertainment)” programming ideas they thought that he was terrifying enough to take up the role of a serial killer for cheesy horror films.  It should have insulted him, but on the contrary he was happy to be put in his element.  So far he had made 4 movies and had developed a cult following for his gruesome performance.  Who would have known the murderous robot would be so popular amongst humans?

Papyrus was still not a member of the monster Royal Guard, since Asgore and Toriel saw no need for it to remain when relations with the humans were going decently and they didn’t want to spark another human-monster war.  No, fighting was the last thing on every monsters mind.  The tall skeleton monster didn’t even seem that upset over it; not as upset as the day a thief decided to snatch his wallet right out of his hands after grocery shopping, and Sans was left in the store parking lot holding the bags while his younger brother chased after the human thief spewing curses all the way.  He had caught the thief with his magic, pinning him against the wall with blue bones (and effectively making him soak his pants in sheer terror) and repeatedly told both him off as well as the police officers who had come to arrest the human.  Then one of them gave him the bright idea to try entering the Academy, a school dedicated to training up the next generation of police officers—the equivalent of the Royal Guard—and Papyrus was more than interested.  After much training, he was victorious and Sans had never been prouder than the day his brother received his uniform and shiny badge.

And as for Sans himself…well, Gaster had already said it all for him.  He was nothing, a nobody, a pathetic waste of space.  It was true, he could have become anything that he wanted.  After all, he had a passion for science and could have very well tried to apply for a position in that field, but one look in the mirror had him doubting.  A short and stout _skeleton_ , with a damaged skull with that ever-present crack over his right eye and sharpened teeth, not to mention his lone gold tooth.  He didn’t look like a scientist; he looked more like a delinquent with his overall appearance.

It’s why he chose to be a writer instead.  Sans not only had a passion for literature, but he thought he could get away with not having to make any public appearances if he ever became famous.  Papyrus wasn’t too thrilled about his older brother’s career decision, and call him crazy but he felt that Sans was capable of so much more than putting words on paper.  It was a far cry from the old Papyrus who used to beat the living magical crap out of him and demean him.

**_“APPLY YOURSELF, SANS! YOU CAN BE WHATEVER YOU WANT TO BE! I BELIEVE IN YOU!”_ **

It was sweet how Papyrus tried so hard to be there for his older brother.  But Sans was never there for himself, always fighting against the slightest bit of confidence that dared to spark.

“Heh…sorry to disappoint you, bro.” Sans murmured as another trail of smoke wafted from his mouth before he tossed the cigarette butt over the railing of the bridge he was leaning on.  “Sorry all I do is keep disappointing you.  All of you.”

“Indeed.  You are nothing but a disappointment.” Gaster appeared by his side.  Sans grit his teeth and kept his hands in his pockets.

“Why the fuck are you here, Gaster?”

“I’m always here, Sans.” The taller skeleton said simply, an unamused look gracing his face.

“Bullshit! You’re fucking _dead_!” Sans spat, “You died centuries ago!”

“Have you forgotten already? I live on in you.  You and Papyrus, and I have to say that one option is much more preferable.”

Sans felt Gaster lean in close to where his ear would be.  “Have you taken my previous words to heart? You’re useless, Sans.  I don’t know why I kept you around when Papyrus was clearly the better son.  He excels in everything he puts his mind to, and you…well, I don’t need to remind you when all you have to do is look in a mirror.”

The smaller skeleton felt his soul throb painfully at that.  Gaster was lying; Sans wasn’t…he wasn’t…he was…

** PATHETIC. **

** USELESS. **

Gaster took his silence as acceptance.  “At least you’re finally beginning to understand your place in this world.  Better late than never I suppose.”

Sans felt hands clasp his shoulders from behind.  He didn’t need to look to confirm.  He would never forget the hands that had caused him so much pain.

“Oh Sans, why do you fight me? As your father, am I not entitled to point out your mistakes? You can’t improve if you don’t know…”

“I-I t-try…” Whatever confidence and determination the small skeleton had was slowly fading away.

“But it seems even then you fail to learn, you fail to improve,” the former Royal Scientist cut him off and continued.  “A failure, Sans.”

“I’m a f-failure…?” No, that wasn’t true.

“Yes,” Gaster purred, rubbing the other’s shoulders in an almost soothing manner.  “Say it again.”

“I’m a-a f-f-failure…” Sans automatically stuttered.  He didn’t want to believe it.

“Again.”

“I’m a f-failure…”  It couldn’t be true, it wasn’t true…

“Again.”

“I’m…a failure.  I’m a failure.” Sans spoke clearly, firmly.  “I’m a failure.  I’m a failure.  I’m a failure.”

He sang it like a mantra, each sentence filled with growing confidence.  He was no longer stuttering.  For once he was 100% _confident_ in his statements.  He truly was a letdown for everyone.

And Gaster was _proud_ of his revelation.

“You’re right.  I’ve failed you, I’ve failed Papyrus.  I’ve failed everyone.” The stout skeleton spoke with certainty as he gripped the railing tightly.

“What was our rule, Sans?”

“Failure is not an option.  Failure will not be tolerated.  Failure must be…rectified.” Sans swallowed.  Gaster smirked.

“You know what to do,” he purred again, still rubbing and now lightly pushing.  Urging.

With a shaky hand, Sans gripped the railing and hoisted himself up albeit with some difficulty.  He never did get around to becoming stronger, physically or mentally.  _Just another failure_ , he chuckled mirthlessly.

He seated himself precariously on the edge purposely.  It would be so easy to fall off; he wouldn’t even have to do it himself.  Another cold, winter breeze had to blow and soon he would be greeting the waves below.  Sans supposed the water would be cold being winter and all, and he vaguely wondered if the cold would kill him before he drowned.  Skeleton or not, he was still a monster and could very well feel extreme temperatures, just not as strongly as flesh monsters.  And he _couldn’t swim to save his life_.

Heh, that one was funny.

Time seemed to slow down as the skeleton leaned forward, just barely hanging on by his fingertips, and he was prepared to let go.  Let his fingers slip from the cold metal of the railing, let him fall, let him…

_BEEP BEEP!_

…the fuck? Was that a text? Who the hell could possibly want to send _him_ of all people a text?

Sans flipped out his phone and checked his messages.  Sure enough there was one new message, and surprisingly it was from Frisk.  The kid hadn’t stopped by the house or messaged him and Papyrus in almost three months, which admittedly annoyed the skeleton brothers, so what was so important that they just had to gossip _now_ of all times?

_“‘Hey Sans! It’s me Frisk! Sorry I haven’t talked to you in so long; I bet Pap is very mad.’_ He’s not the only one, kid.” Sans thought back to his brother’s frustration and anxiety as he paced around the house, hoping that Frisk would call to at least say hello, and he secretly shared that anticipation.  And the anger when no such thing came.

“ _‘I’ve tried finding time to call you guys before, but things have been…difficult.  More than usual.  Dad (Asgore lets me call him dad now) has been really stressed out with his work at the Monster Embassy, and Mom has had it tough at the school she works at.  It’s been almost a year and humans are still giving monsters a hard time.  I had to stop some kids last week from picking on Marvin; you know, Monster Kid? It seems that humans are as big a bunch of jerks as ever.’_ Thanks for pointing out the fucking obvious.”

The next part of the message sobered him up.

“ _‘I talked to Shyren the other day and she really scared me.  She told me she almost fell down this month because she’s been so stressed from the prejudice in the music industry.  Some of her friends have already fallen down, she says, and without them it’s getting harder and harder to make it through each day.’_ Shit, that’s tough.

_‘I’m scared, Sans.  Not just for Shyren, but for everyone else too.  Some monsters have already reached a point where they choose to fall down instead of trying to make things work.  Mom and Dad sometimes have relapses when they confuse me for Chara, and when they realize their mistake they just cry and cry.  I can’t do anything to help them when they get like that, and it hurts knowing that one day I could come home to a large pile of dust.  It really fucking hurts, Sans.’_ Really Frisk, you’re swearing now? What would Tori say if she heard you?” The stout skeleton tried to chuckle, but it came out as a pained wheeze.

“ _‘It’s not just them.  Everyone is having a really hard time.  Alphys has been depressed since everyone at her job is getting on her case about Mettaton after he almost had a meltdown at an audition.  He almost went haywire and activated his human eradication features.  Undyne’s been trying to cheer Alphys up, but it’s the same as Mettaton.  Humans don’t want to work with her, and some even tried to get her fired, and she almost had a meltdown of her own.  Even Papyrus has some of his moments.’_ ”

Wait…his brother Papyrus? The same Papyrus who faced each day with grit and confidence, who would come home with the largest smile on his face eager to tell his older brother about his “fantastic day”?

Pap couldn’t have been having issues.  He was so strong, so determined, and he was always…smiling.  Then it clicked.  Sans cursed his own stupidity.  Of course Papyrus was always smiling, just like Sans was always smiling.  Where else could he have learned it from?

“ _‘Pap’s had it rough like everyone else, but he’s strong.  He chooses to tough it out.  But that doesn’t mean he’s invincible, Sans.  Just like how you’re not invincible.  I know you’re having a hard time too, I can feel it.  Pap says that you’ve had it tougher than most and that’s why you hide yourself away with all the jokes and smiles.  I’m not going to pry and I’m not going to pretend I understand, but listen to me, Sans:_

_I know back under Mt. Ebott everyone hid their emotions, all because of stupid **kill or be killed**.  But Sans…we’re not there anymore.  We’re here on the surface.  Things are different, and you’re allowed to show your true self.  If you’re hurting, then talk to us.  Talk to Papyrus.  He misses his brother._

_Please…I don’t want to lose you too.  Stay determined! I love you.’_

Jesus fucking Christ, kid.  What the fuck is up with this text? Why not write an actual fucking letter instead of typing out paragraphs of this bullshit? Do that next time, okay?” Tears flowed freely down Sans’ bony cheeks.  The phone rattled against his shaking phalanges.

He would not cry here in front of anyone, human or monster.  There was nothing to cry about because he was fine.  He was fine, he was—

**_“A failure, Sans.”_ **

He flung his phone out as far out as possible, watching the splash as it made contact with the water and sunk to the bottom of the river.  It didn’t make him feel better.  It made him think about why it wasn’t him that was sinking to the bottom instead of that phone.

_Just another failure_.


	3. We Need To Talk (About Your Attitude)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Papyrus has some time alone to think about his relationship with his brother.

Back home, Papyrus was worrying himself sick.  He had come home from a trying but ultimately fulfilling day expecting to chat Sans’ nonexistent ears off about it, maybe even “encourage” him to try out his latest recipe for lasagna—and yet Sans had blatantly brushed him off.  His older brother had always been rude back in the Underground, but this seemed different somehow.  If only he would just _talk_ to him!

Papyrus was tempted to call Undyne for the fifth time and see if she had seen Sans on her way home from work.  Sure, he would probably just get yelled at and told to fuck off, but he would never know otherwise.  He would call his phone directly, but _oh my_ , it seemed that it was going straight to voicemail.  Avoiding him in any way possible.  Fucking typical of his brother.

The tall skeleton growled as he shaped the dough for his lasagna, adding in a few punches for good measure.  To make the noodles just right, he told himself.  Clearly a falsity, but it was better than giving into fantasies about his real intended target.  They had worked too hard and come too far to devolve now.  Papyrus remembered those early weeks after the human child called Frisk had broken the barrier, when he had woken up to the very real and blinding rays of sunlight.  _Sunlight_! For three weeks he would barge into Sans’ room and pull his brother out of bed for a reminder that they were no longer underground, that they were now in a new home of their own on the surface.  The _surface_ , with fresh air and real stars!

Papyrus had hit Sans even then during those weeks, mostly from the stresses of coping with new lifestyle changes and job hunting.  Despite their attempts at being nonviolent, most monsters were shunned more for their terrifying appearances, and Papyrus was no different with his Underground uniform and sharpened bones.  It was only after he was accepted into the Academy that he realized that this was a sign that change needed to happen for both himself and his brother.  He would try to be a nicer, better sibling and Sans agreed that he would try as well.  It was hard, that was for damn sure, and on more than one occasion Papyrus felt himself longing to slip back into old ways because it was easier than simply apologizing for making a mistake or explaining why he was upset.  But his stubbornness knew no end, and eventually he even greeted his older brother with genuine smiles and positive comments, maybe even a hug once in a while.  He thought all was well when Sans started reciprocating.

Until today.

Papyrus wasn’t angry at his brother for having an off day.  He was angry because Sans was doing his usual routine of pushing everyone away as a means of coping with his stress.  It wasn’t fair that Papyrus had worked so hard to break out of his shell and become more open and caring about his older brother, and Sans was just ignoring all of their progress and regressing.  It really pissed him off.  When his brother came home he was really going to…

The tall skeleton heard the front door click.  He had been so lost in thought he hadn’t even heard someone come in.  Was Sans finally home? Why hadn’t he just used one of his shortcuts? He was more grateful that the latter hadn’t happened.  Maybe now he would have a chance to sit the both of them down and talk like civilized monsters.  Quickly rushing out of the kitchen, Papyrus caught Sans as he was kicking his shoes off at the door.

“WHERE THE FUCK HAVE YOU BEEN?” Papyrus demanded to know, “I’VE BEEN CALLING YOU FOR THE PAST TWO HOURS AND NOT A SINGLE RING.  DID YOU TURN OFF YOUR PHONE?”

“I tossed it.”

“YOU…TOSSED IT?” Papyrus was baffled by the simple, almost casual response.  Sans still wasn’t looking at him as he removed his jacket and flung it at the rack, missing entirely.  “WHY THE HELL WOULD YOU TOSS YOUR PHONE?”

“Doesn’t matter.”

“IT DOES FUCKING MATTER, SANS! WHY THE FUCK DO YOU THINK I’M SO ANGRY?”

“Did Undyne fucking criticize your lasagna or something?”

“I WAS _WORRIED_ ABOUT YOU, OKAY?! STARS, DAMN IT, I WAS WORRIED THAT SOMETHING HAD HAPPENED TO YOU OUT THERE! I THOUGHT A HUMAN HAD DUSTED YOU! I THOUGHT YOU FELL DOWN! I WAS _WORRIED_ , SANS, ABOUT _YOU!_ ”

“What’s the fucking point of worrying about someone like me?”

“FOR FUCK’S SAKE, SANS, WE ARE _NOT_ STARTING THIS AGAIN!” Papyrus flung the dough he had been carrying against the wall.  It missed Sans’ head and landed with a dull thud.  Neither brother spoke, watching the dough as it left a white trail as it slid down the yellow-painted wall.  Finally, Sans broke the silence.

“Fuck this.  I’m going to bed.”

“SANS! DON’T YOU WALK AWAY FROM ME!” Papyrus roared when his brother ignored him and proceeded to walk up the stairs.  He raised his hand and focused his magic.

**_Ping_.**

Sans froze as he felt a familiar chill course through his soul.  No…Papyrus wouldn’t, would he? He got his answer when the floor came up to meet him.  That son of a bitch.

“What the fuck, boss?!”

“YOU’RE BLUE NOW, SO I DARE YOU TO TRY AND GET AWAY.”

“I fucking can’t, genius!”

“THAT’S THE FUCKING POINT, SANS.” Papyrus kneeled before his older brother and raised his chin.  “I THINK IT’S ABOUT TIME WE HAD A TALK.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter is so short. It's been pretty busy at home, but hopefully I'll be able to finish posting up the rest of the story soon.


	4. Not Going Anywhere (I Want You Here)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Papyrus and Sans finally have a much-needed, if difficult, talk. Things get dangerous and emotional, and both brothers learn something new.

Sans was in disbelief.  His own boss, his younger brother, the monster who had been so gentle and loving for the past few months had just bound him to a chair in the kitchen so he couldn’t move even a phalange.  To be honest, the binding wasn’t anything new.  Boss had done it many times back in the Underground when Sans had fallen asleep at his post only to leave him outside in the cold all night long as a form of punishment.  Frankly, Sans wouldn’t have been surprised if Papyrus had decided to regress back to his old ways now.

No, the reason Sans was upset was because of how pushy his brother was being.  For once since their arrival on the surface, he wanted the Great and Terrible Papyrus back.  At least that version of his brother didn’t care what he went through on his own time, nor would he be privy to Sans’ innermost thoughts.  Sans loved his brother, truly he did; but this was not something he wanted to share with anyone.  This was his own battle, and if he ended up losing…well, he didn’t really see a downside for anyone involved.

Papyrus was next to the sink preparing a fresh batch of dough to replace the one pelted at the wall.  He didn’t speak, only the motions of his hands betraying his anger as they continued to knead the powdery, squishy substance none too gently.  Sans stared at his brother’s hands, watching them work, almost enraptured at how intricately they moved.  He had seen, _experienced_ , his brother’s hands in action many times over; and yet…how had he never truly seen this beauty before?

“Sans.” Papyrus’ voice was soft, almost quiet compared to his boisterous personality.  Sans jumped and tore his eyes away from those slender finger bones.

“Y-yeah, boss?”

“You know I love you, right?”

“Yeah, I…I guess?”

“You guess?” Papyrus sighed, “Then it seems I’ve failed you as both a friend and brother.”

The Great and Terrible Papyrus was admitting to failure? Sans felt very uncomfortable hearing that.  This wasn’t the brother, the _boss_ , he knew.  Was this a trick?

“You, fail? Nah, boss, that’s not true…”

“IT IS!” Sans jumped when Papyrus punched the dough.  “I’ve failed you and you know it! I’m a terrible excuse for a brother!”

“Boss, c’mon that’s not even remotely—”

“You’re doing it again, Sans! That’s how I know I’ve failed you!” Sans was confused.

“What am I doing?”

“You’re calling me ‘boss’ when you haven’t done so in months! You only call me that when you’re afraid of me, and that means that I must have done something to make you even more afraid of me now than when we were underground!” Papyrus was gripping chunks of dough in his hands now.  “I told you to stop calling me that.  I’m not your boss, I’m your brother.”

“Boss--”

“BROTHER!” Papyrus roared and punched the dough again.  “I’m your brother…not your fucking owner…”

“Bro…” Sans tried again, using a nickname he hadn’t used in decades.  “Paps…”

That got the tall skeleton’s attention as he turned around and looked at his brother with wide eye sockets.  “I…haven’t heard you call me that since we were baby bones.”

“Never had much reason to since we’re all grown up.” Sans shrugged with a fake smile.  Papyrus sighed and pushed the doughy mess away, no longer pretending to be interested in making lasagna.  He sat on the counter and held his head in his hands.

“Please don’t do that, Sans.  I’m tired of you always trying to smile the pain away.  I’m tired of pretending that everything is fine when it really isn’t.  I’m tired…”

“ _Tibia_ honest, I’m getting kind of tired of sitting in this chair…”

“I’M SERIOUS, SANS! I’M TIRED OF YOU PULLING THE SAME BULLSHIT YOU ALWAYS DO! ALL YOUR JOKES AND SMILES, ALL OF THEM SO FAKE AND YET SOMEHOW YOU’VE MANAGED TO CONVINCE YOURSELF THAT YOU’RE FINE!”

“I _am_ fine!”

“NO, SANS! YOU ARE _NOT FINE_!” Papyrus bellowed.

“YES. I. AM.” Sans snarled.  “You’re just too self-absorbed in your own opinion to really care about how I feel!”

“WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?! YOU THINK I DON’T CARE ABOUT HOW YOU FEEL?”

“Well you sure as shit didn’t care back in the Underground so I don’t see why the fuck you should start caring now, _boss_!” Sans said spitefully.

Papyrus raised his fist and brought it down.  A loud crack resounded and both brothers were silent, with the exception of the younger who was breathing heavily.  Sans was speechless.  Papyrus had just… _fractured his leg_.  Instead of hitting him like he normally would have.  Like _Boss_ normally would have.

“Don’t…ever…ever…ever…say that I don’t care about you, Sans.” His brother gasped through the pain, clutching at the wound leaking marrow.  “I’ve always cared about you.  I just never knew how to show it properly.  Safely.  I didn’t know _love_ , but LV.”

“B-bro…” Papyrus held up his hand.

“This injury should be proof enough that I no longer…ack…want to lay a hand on you, Sans.  You don’t deserve that kind of…pain, unlike me who caused you so much grief.  You don’t need any more when you’re already suffering so much on your own.”

“Bro…I’m f-fine, really…”

“You are _not_ fine.” Papyrus repeated.  “People who are ‘fine’ don’t have conversations with long-dead relatives.”

Sans froze.  His brother continued, “People who are ‘fine’ don’t try to commit suicide.”

“How did you…?”

“Know? Please, Sans, give me a little credit.  I’ve been looking after your well being since we moved up here.  You always did have a harder time adjusting to life on the surface.  It’s why I tried to get you to talk to me as often as I could, and when you resorted to writing I would…” The tall skeleton seemed a bit embarrassed.  “I would sneak peeks at your journal.”

“You would… _what?_ ”

“I know it was wrong, okay?! But what was I supposed to do? You weren’t talking and I didn’t know what was going on in your head about, well, everything.  How sad is it that I have to resort to invading my brother’s privacy just to get some semblance about how he feels about living under the same roof as me?”

He gripped his knee, the injured one, and hissed.  “We’re _family_ , Sans.  The move up here was supposed to change things for the better.  It hasn’t been easy, but at least I’m trying to make our dynamics as normal as possible.  I’m _trying_ …”

“I…I know.” Sans croaked, voice hoarse with unshed agony.  “I know you do.  And in all honesty, Papyrus, I’m happier than I’ve ever been in my life.  I’ve seen the sun; I’ve seen the stars; and I got my brother back.  I’m happy.”

“They _why_? Why would you try to kill yourself if you’re so happy?”

Sans didn’t answer.  How could he explain it?

He didn’t have to.

“Is it Gaster?” The moment that name slipped through Papyrus’ teeth Sans let all of his walls fall.  That damnable name that belonged to a damnable monster.  His younger brother took the silence as a yes.  “He’s gone, Sans.  He shouldn’t be able to torment you any further.”

“But he does!” The small skeleton finally spoke, voice cracking, “Every single day since we left the Underground I’ve seen him! Spoken to him! Been hit by him like he didn’t die all those years ago!”

If it made sense, it would explain the increasing frequency in bad days, as well as the muffled conversations Papyrus would often hear through his older brother’s door that didn’t sound like a normal phone conversation he would have with either Frisk or Alphys.  It would also explain the fresh cracks his brother tried so desperately to hide under long sleeves and his burly jacket, and the small fragments of bone that disintegrated into dust in his clothes and sheets.  But it didn’t make sense because the man was quite clearly dead by his own hand, had been gone for centuries.  He couldn’t be around physically at least.  Mentally, on the other hand…

“He hurts me, Papyrus…” Sans choked out.  “And some days I let him have at me in whatever way he pleases.  I believe him when he says that I should have died a long time ago, that you should have killed me back before the kid fell down the mountain.  That I’m a weak, pathetic, pile of shit that only holds you back.”

“That’s enough, Sans.”

“That I’m--”

“Enough! Don’t fucking listen to whatever he tells you because he’s not real, Sans! Gaster— _our father_ —is gone! He can’t hurt you anymore! I won’t let him!” Papyrus growled and slipped from the counter, hissing at the pain his injured leg caused.  He limped over to the chair and flung his arms around his brother.  “And I dare the fucking bastard to try and hurt the brother of The Great and Terrible Papyrus, because if he does come back I’ll show him no mercy! I will gut him of his magic and grind his bones into dust myself!”

“Pap…Papyrus…”

“I mean it, Sans.  I’m willing to do whatever it takes to help you.  We’ll get professional help.  I’ll try to be around more.  Fuck, I’ll even come up with some of those ridiculous ‘family bonding’ scenarios if it means helping you.  Whatever it takes, but please, _please_ , Sans…” The tall skeleton whispered, “Don’t go.  If you leave me, then I’ll have nothing left to live for.”

Sans was silent for the longest time.  Papyrus felt that he had said too much and that his brother would surely reject all of his claims.  Until finally…

“…Why?”

“Sans…isn’t it obvious? It’s because _I love you_ , dumbass.” The other spoke tiredly.  This talk along with his leg was killing him.  He hoped his stupid older brother would get the damn message, and then he could take a hot shower and heal up this wound.

“Don’t leave me…” Sans stifled a sob, but it was a losing battle as tears gathered in the corners of his eye sockets.  “Don’t leave me… Stars, I need you… Please don’t leave me, Papyrus…”

Papyrus quickly hugged his brother tighter, cradling the back of his skull gently.  “I won’t ever leave you alone, not anymore.”

“Papyrus…Papyrus!” Sans sobbed into his brother’s shoulder.  He couldn’t pull away even if he wanted to, so he just allowed himself to cry.  Red tears, no doubt a product of his magic, spilled from his eyes and onto Papyrus’ crisp white shirt, something the tall skeleton would surely balk about.  But he didn’t.

“I’m here, Sans… I’m here, brother.” He crooned softly.  He repeated it like a mantra, as if saying it enough would make his brother realize that he was never going to leave, that he was here to stay and help.

Sans said nothing, only crying louder when he felt warm liquid tap his skull and realized that for the first time his brother was crying as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only one more chapter to go! I hope everyone is enjoying this so far!


	5. I'm Here (Still Alive)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath. Sans has one final talk with "Gaster" and comes to a decision.

When Sans opened his eyes, he found that he was back in his room.  He didn’t remember coming up here, hell he didn’t even remember Papyrus untying him from the chair.  Maybe he had passed out from crying so much? Stars, what a pansy he was.  Back in the Underground, tears were a sign of weakness, and weakness meant you were going to get dusted.  No matter how much Papyrus hurt him, he had never cried, not even in the solace of his own room.  Maybe that was what he really needed.  A way to convey all of the pain never spoken before.  Well, he had finally cried, and goddamn; Sans had to admit that he had never felt lighter.  His soul no longer felt constricted.  Maybe there were some benefits to crying after all—just not in person.  He didn’t think he was ready for that much gayness again.

But then again, Papyrus had cried too.  What did it mean when two brothers who had long since hated each other cried in each others’ presence? Maybe his “great and terrible” brother was finally growing soft, but in all honesty Sans realized that he didn’t mind so much.  The past year had been difficult, and while Papyrus had indeed tried to become a better person he hadn’t really strayed too far from his old personality.  Yes, he and Sans conversed more like regular siblings and physical assault wasn’t as prevalent, minus those awkward as hell hugs; but there was still an edgy harshness to him that was reminiscent of “The Great and Terrible Papyrus”.  It shouldn’t be taken personally; that was just how Papyrus was.

Sans sat up in his bed and stretched, blinking to try and see in the darkness, when he heard a murmur and felt something move around his waist.  He felt his bones flush when he realized that it was his _brother’s_ arm that was holding him almost too closely.  Holy fucking stars, this was _way_ too gay for him.  He really needed to stop thinking that.

“Shit Paps, you’re really taking this seriously, aren’t you?” Sans asked softly, looking over his younger brother’s sleeping face.  He couldn’t recall a time when either of them slept this peacefully back in the Underground.  Back in the darkness, back with…

No, he wasn’t going to go down that train of thought anymore.  It wasn’t worth it.

Sans gave his brother a once over, seeing him still dressed in his button-up shirt and pants.  They would be wrinkled in the morning, not to mention stained with tears and marrow, but if it really mattered then Papyrus would have changed his clothes before relocating them upstairs.  Speaking of which, his leg looked better, bandaged and no longer leaking, and the small skeleton could sense healing magic.  At least the other had taken care of his injury before the cuddle fest.  He needed to take care of some things too.

He rose from his bed, careful not to awaken his sleeping brother, and walked over to his desk.  His computer was still on and the word processing document he had been working on before all of this was still open, the cursor blinking and ready for the next addition.  Sans couldn’t find it in his soul to continue writing and moved to close the program.  He stopped when he saw writing that wasn’t his own.

A large chunk of it was something that Gaster would say, a variety of insults and statements about his failure as a son of the former Royal Scientist.  It made the small skeleton want to fling a storm of bones through the computer screen.  No doubt his fucked up mind came up with this when he had had his episode with “Gaster”, imagining him to be in the room when it was really just Sans the whole time.  How was it that he hadn’t noticed it earlier? He was more fucked up than he thought.  Sans was about to smash his computer when the next bit of writing stopped him in his tracks.

It wasn’t “Gaster’s” writing, but Papyrus’.

“ _‘This is really coming along nicely, brother.  I’m particularly curious about what is going to happen to the protagonist since they learned the whereabouts of their missing family.  I’m also partial to the villain, The Great and Terrible Gideon, whom I sure you based off of me, The Great and Terrible Papyrus! Nyeheheheh!’_ Yeah, that’s definitely you, boss.” Sans chuckled quietly.

“ _‘But I wouldn’t say that I’m so terrible now that we’re up on the surface.  I’m trying to be a better person, someone who you can proudly call brother and give the warmest of hugs.  I can’t even remember the last time we shared a hug back in the Underground.  This life that we have now on the surface, I want it to be the start of something new, Sans.  If you ever feel upset, depressed, or just lonely, please come to me.  Even if the only thing that I can offer you is a hug, I want it to be the best hug you’ve ever experienced from your brother, The Great Papyrus.  I’ll never leave you alone when you’re in need of help.  I love you, Sans.’_ ” Sans almost choked the last words out.  Even though Papyrus had spoken those words mere hours ago, they still made his soul accelerate with a warm feeling he didn’t know he possessed.

From the darkness he heard the faint sounds of sneering.  He turned and saw Gaster peeking over his shoulder, no doubt reading Papyrus’ note.

“Pathetic.  I expected more out of Papyrus than pity.” The marred skeleton murmured almost angrily.  “Why he continues to humor you is beyond my understanding.  He should have done away with you as soon as the human broke the barrier.  You’ve been nothing but an extra mouth to feed, wasting his precious time, money, and space.”

“Shut up, Gaster.”

“Tell me this since you’re so keen on ignoring the truth:  How much longer is Papyrus going to put up with you before he’d had the final straw? What’s that human saying, _‘the straw that broke the camel’s back’_? How long until he decides he’s had enough and throws you out, Sans?”

“Shut. Up.  You’re not the real W.D. Gaster.  You’re just a figment of my fucked up imagination that won’t shut the fuck up.”

Gaster leaned in close and stroked Sans’ cheekbone almost gently.  “Oh Sans, I’m very much real and alive.  You and I are tethered together, and the only way you’ll ever be rid of me is by crushing that weak little soul of yours into dust.”

“Shut up and leave me alone! I’m not the person you think I am! I’m fucking tired of you telling me what to do!” Sans swung hard at Gaster’s face, but his fist simply went through the deceptively translucent figure.

Gaster chuckled darkly.  Sans wanted to deck him again even though he knew it would be to no avail.  The former Royal Scientist was shaking his head, that same smile plastered on his marred face and his luminescent eyes glowing in an almost sinister fashion.  “Amusing, Sans.  Truly, your will to sustain yourself for a pointless existence is admirable, and I await the day it all fades away and you finally break.”

“I’m stronger than you think I am! I’m not going to get myself fall down just because I’m a fucking nut job! I’m not going to give in, you hear me Gaster?! I won’t give up!”

“We shall see, Sans…” Gaster faded back into the shadows and Sans had half a mind to blast the area for good measure.  The blaster was forming in the back of his mind, but he pushed it away.  Instead, he swore loudly and formed a bone, which was soon embedded in the wall.

“Sans…?” Came the groggy and mildly confused voice of Papyrus from the bed.  Had he heard everything?

“Bo—Paps, I’m here.” Sans quickly saved the word document and turned off his computer.  He walked back to the bed and lay down beside his brother.  Papyrus eyed his older brother with equally groggy eyes, trying to focus on Sans’ expression.

“What’s wrong, brother?”

“Nothing, Paps.  Just a dream.  Just a stupid fucking dream.” The small skeleton said as he turned over.  He gasped lightly as Papyrus wrapped his long arms around his small frame and pulled him close.  Sans felt the warmth of his younger brother’s chest against his back, and groaned internally at the awkward and embarrassing action.  He wasn’t sure overall how to feel about his brother acting so touchy feely, but he made a note to tell his brother to take it more slowly.  It was just so odd to experience open affection from someone who had previously hurt him, but strangely it made him feel something he hadn’t felt in a long time.  Safe and loved.  Sans just needed time to process these new emotions he was now allowed to feel.

“Dreams, hm? I suppose I’ll need to chase them off for you?”

“Heh, I’m sure they won’t dare to come back with you around, bro.” Sans chuckled.  “The Great and Terrible Papyrus, slayer of nightmares!”

“Hmm, that’s not a bad title.  I’d rather have a good nights’ rest than have you kicking about and screaming and making my leg worse.  You know, normally I’d gag you and throw your ass outside after tying you up.” Papyrus murmured sleepily.  Sans could feel himself dozing off too.

“I know, bro.  Hey Papyrus…?”

“Hmm…?”

“I love you, bro.” Sans flushed a bit hearing the words come out of his mouth.  Too gay.  _Way too gay._   If his brother didn’t kill him now then he’d probably die from embarrassment alone.  He was sure his cheeks were as red as tomatoes when Papyrus responded.

“I love you too, brother.”

Sans visibly relaxed, physically and emotionally.  It still felt awkward, but maybe this is what he needed the entire time.  Acceptance, and something he didn’t think could be had for him:  love, true and genuine.  Sans curled up closer to this brother, and in return Papyrus hugged him just a bit tighter.  It felt…nice.  Maybe they could do this again in the future when the nightmares came back.  And with that, the skeleton brother closed their eyes and dozed off, completely relaxed in each other’s company.  There were no nightmares, no screams, and no fear.  And most importantly, there was no Gaster.

All was well, for now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's the final chapter!
> 
> Whoo boy, I'll admit I wasn't sure where this story was going to go when I first started writing it, but I'm kind of glad it ended up as it did. There aren't many SkeleBro stories with platonic brotherly love out there, and while I'm not against sexy skelecest stories (quite the contrary if the story's right), sometimes I just want to read about some warm fuzzies.
> 
> Initially I wanted to write a story delving into the problems that people with schizophrenia have. Sans is under constant stress and anxiety, and it really wouldn't surprise me if he became schizophrenic at some point. The Underfell universe is a breeding ground for dark and gloomy characters. But it can also bring forth a silver lining, as impossible as it is to believe. I hope everyone enjoyed this story as much as I enjoying writing it, and I certainly hope you guys will check out my other works too.
> 
> See you next time!


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